Playing the PlayStation trade

Die-hard gamers will be all too familiar with the Sony PlayStation and probably already be aware that the PlayStation 5 is on its way.

And even those of us who don’t own a PlayStation (and, whisper it, may never even have played on one) will probably know of the games that can be played on it, such as Assassin’s Creed, Red Dead Redemption and Gran Turismo – and we can expect that something that is coming to be big.

Like any new release, especially in the tech world, the latest console from Sony is highly anticipated and according to Sony PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan’s recent announcement, there isn’t too long to wait.

There are also rumours swirling that this will be the last game console that Sony makes – erm, OK? So what now? Don’t panic! There is more to come <>.

In its end of year financial results to March, 31, 2019, Sony revealed that since launching in 2013, the PlayStation has sold a whopping 96.8m units. That’s a lot of gaming!

It also pointed to a surge in subscriber numbers for PlayStation Plus – this increase in its paid membership service was offset by a decrease in PlayStation 4 hardware sales.

And the company seems to have a plan up its sleeve, some of which emerged in May when it announced a tie-up with Microsoft.

Sony and Microsoft intend to partner on new cloud-based gaming experiences, and AI solutions.

While there isn’t too much more detail on what this partnership means, it seems likely that it’s part of a bid to take on rival Google’s cloud-based gaming service.

The video gaming industry is highly competitive, with sales of games consoles generally struggling amid the growing online gaming market.

But it does seem like Sony is holding its own here, with a share price that reflects this, at around $49. CEO Ryan also told fans that there would be no merging of the Xbox and PlayStation consoles, and that the two names would be working together on game streaming. As investors, we have to take him at his word.

Given the level of hype and expectation around the PlayStation 5, Sony appears to be doing all the right things to keep gamers and fans on-side.

The real test of the console will be in the playing!

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